The news came out of nowhere.

They had appeared in Auderia.

We gathered in front of the "Gate of Transference" near the castle's main entrance, alongside soldiers assembled under old man Maurice's command.

Maurice stepped forward and addressed the troops.

"We've just received word that they appeared in the Ober district. This is their first time showing up in our country. But every one of you here should know what they are. Don't let your guard down, got it?!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Good! We'll split into two units. One will head to the site with Issei and his team. The other stays here with me to prepare for any surprises. For now, we've only got reports from Ober, but these things are unpredictable. They could pop up anywhere."

That's probably the best call.

My unit includes not just my team but also Sensei and Tia. That should be more than enough firepower to take on those white monsters.

The soldiers can handle evacuating and securing the residents. That should cover everything.

"Issei's group will go with Trim's unit. Can you handle it?"

"Understood. I swear on my knight's honor to protect the people," Trim replied.

Maurice nodded.

Vrrrrrm

A massive stone gate began to glow with rainbow light.

The Gate of Transference was ready.

This gate is only authorized for use in emergencies.

Guess this counts as one.

By the way, the one who grants that authorization is Alice, the princess who runs this country. She may not act like it, but she's royalty.

Trim's unit went through first, followed by the rest of us.

As I was about to step through, Alice approached.

"Issei, be careful."

She looked worried. Not like her at all.

"I got this. Leave it to me."

I flashed a grin and stepped through the gate, enveloped in rainbow light.

After the light of transference faded, I opened my eyes to a familiar sight.

Ober, a city in southern Auderia.

Not as big as Central's castle town, but still a major hub. It's a port city, bustling with trade ships. I've passed through here a few times on my travels.

Normally, it's as lively as Central, but…

It was eerily quiet.

Had everyone already evacuated?

BOOOOM!

An explosion echoed in the distance. Black smoke rose from where it came.

I stretched my senses toward it.

That presence…!

"It's them! Let's move! Trim, your unit handles anyone who hasn't evacuated yet!"

"Understood, Lord Issei! Stay safe!"

We split up and sprinted toward the scene, passing fleeing townsfolk along the way.

A few minutes later, we reached the site.

There they were—over twenty of those white monsters!

Damn… I didn't expect this many!

How did they even get this deep into the city?

No time to think about that now. First, we crush them!

I instantly donned my armor.

"No civilian presence nearby! Everyone, go all out!"

"Understood!"

Like last time in Forestnium, Sensei, Tia, and I each took on a monster solo, while the captain and the others teamed up to attack.

Here we go, Ddraig! We already know how tough these things are!

"Half-hearted attacks won't cut it. Hit them with everything you've got."

I'll make sure not to drag Miu or the captain into this!

Sparks flew as my armor shifted shape.

This time, I'm going hand-to-hand!

"Forbidden Second Tier—Tianwu!"

Boosters sprouted across my body, optimizing my armor for close combat.

Last time, I used Tianji. Let's see how Tianwu does!

"Accel Booster!"

"BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBoost!"

Aura burst from my boosters, closing the distance to a monster in an instant.

It looked dragon-like, with ten arms like a spider.

Whatever. It couldn't keep up with my speed!

"Hraaaah!"

BOOOOM!

A full-force punch connected with the monster's face, sending it flying. Normally, that'd be a knockout, but these things are stupidly durable.

I chased after it, leaping above as it bounced off the ground.

With a qi-enhanced fist, reinforced by my gauntlet and Ring-Vigor Technique, I slammed it down.

The blow shattered the monster, scattering it into pieces. The shockwave gouged the earth and blew away nearby structures.

Sorry, townsfolk! A few houses got wrecked!

"Hey, Issei! Fight quieter, you idiot! Ugh, that was close!"

Sensei dodged a monster's flames and hurled a spear of light, cratering the ground as it pierced the beast.

…Says the guy doing the same thing!

"Yuto, pin them down with your Holy-Demonic Swords! Miu, Rossweisse, hit them with magic barrages! Rias and I will follow up!"

At the captain's command, Kiba summoned a forest of Holy-Demonic Swords from the ground, impaling the monsters' legs and torsos to halt them.

Miu and Rossweisse, hovering above, unleashed a massive magical barrage from layered magic circles. The sheer power sent chills down my spine.

The attack obliterated the pinned monsters in an instant.

"Impressive, Miu!"

"Thanks to Rossweisse's power!"

They high-fived in midair.

What a mage duo. Both are crazy skilled!

On the ground, the captain and Akeno, the big-sister duo, glowed with red and golden auras.

"Akeno!"

"Understood!"

Their auras swelled, forming shapes.

Dragons?

The captain's was a Western dragon, Akeno's a long, Eastern-style one.

The captain smirked.

"Since coming here, I've felt power overflowing. Now I can do this—Ruin Extinct Dragon!"

"Oh my, me too. Thunderlight Dragon. Hehe, maybe Issei's influence shaped them like this?"

Whoa!

They've powered up! Turning Ruin and Thunderlight into dragon forms? That's insanely strong!

"Wipe them out!"

The captain's dragon lunged, biting a monster and erasing it completely.

That dense Ruin aura could destroy anything it touched!

Akeno followed, her Thunderlight Dragon coiling around two monsters.

ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP!

Lightning seared their bodies, immobilizing them as the attack persisted.

"Fufufu! How's my lightning? Naughty children get more!"

Akeno cranked up the voltage with a smile.

Terrifying!

She's enjoying this way too much!

When did the captain and Akeno get this strong?

She mentioned something about "since coming to this world."

Did something change in their bodies here?

But Kiba and Xenovia didn't show any signs of this when they fought Maurice.

Maybe only some people get this boost? Or is it individual differences?

"Maybe your Second Tier is tied to coming to this world."

My Second Tier?

"I've said before, you're the only one who's evolved like this. Your willpower drove your Sacred Gear to respond. But coming to this world might've been a factor."

But I didn't reach Second Tier until three years after arriving here.

Unlike the captain and Akeno, who powered up in days.

"You didn't even awaken your Sacred Gear for the first year here. It took two more to reach Forbidden Hand. Plus…"

Plus?

"Like you thought, it could be individual differences."

Ouch…

My power-up was that slow?

"That's just like you, partner."

Ugh… maybe you're right.

Still, the captain and Akeno powering up is a welcome surprise. Maybe Kiba and the others will get a boost later. I'm curious to see.

ROOOOAR!

Another monster charged.

I grabbed the arm of a one-eyed, humanoid beast, hurling it skyward with a judo throw.

It couldn't fly, flailing helplessly in the air.

Perfect target!

I aimed my right hand at the falling monster.

"BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBoost!"

"Lock and load!"

A massive torrent of qi erupted.

Agnus in Tianwu mode—unmatched power!

The blast erased the monster instantly, piercing the heavens.

Phew…

Even these things can't survive that.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!

A deafening roar.

Tia was tearing through monsters, cloaked in a ferocious aura.

"Did you think you could match Tiamat?!"

The mightiest Dragon King.

Last time, she held back and struggled a bit. Unrestrained now, this was a breeze for her.

"Let me vent my frustrations on you! I've been irritated lately with so little time with Issei!"

Whoa, what?!

What's she saying?!

Sure, I've been busy talking with Alice and Nina, but…

Was she that stressed? Does she get this cranky without me? Is this really her personality?!

Sorry, Tia! I'll make more time for you!

"…Things are getting wild," Kiba said, grimacing as he watched Tia.

Yeah…

At this rate, she might wreck the whole town.

"Come on, next!"

Maybe I should stop her… but she's terrifying!

She's pummeling those monsters with a smile. Is she venting all her stress here? Either way, I'm too scared to get close.

"Kiba, I've got a favor…"

"I can guess, but go ahead. What is it?"

"Can you stop her?"

"Are you telling me to die?"

"Haha… kidding."

I turned and charged the approaching monsters.

"That's taken care of," Sensei said, rolling his shoulders.

I disengaged my armor and nodded.

With the captain and Akeno's unexpected power-ups, we wiped out the twenty-plus white monsters faster than expected.

…And, well, Tia's rampage helped. I almost felt bad for the monsters.

Tia looked refreshed, her stress clearly vented.

"Tia…"

"Hm? What's up, Issei?"

"I'll make more time for you."

Her face lit up, and she pulled me into a tight hug, ruffling my hair.

"Hahaha!"

Normally, I'd get sharp glares from the others, but they just gave wry smiles.

Guess they were spooked by Tia's rampage too. Understandable.

"Lord Issei! Can you hear me?"

A communication magic circle activated, and Trim's voice came through.

"Loud and clear. How's it going?"

"We've evacuated all the residents. There are many injuries, some severe, but miraculously, no fatalities."

Everyone sighed in relief.

No deaths—a silver lining.

"Got it. We're done here and heading your way. Please handle the injured until we arrive."

"Understood."

The communication cut off.

I turned to Asia, who was treating our wounded teammates.

"Asia, can I ask you to help with the injured? The medics might be short-handed."

"Of course. It's what I can do."

She agreed readily.

For now, we'd wait for Asia to finish healing.

"Sensei, what do you think?"

"About those white things… They all share the same qi, match the lore, and align with the power remnants in Zemria. It's likely the enemy's boss is creating them. Also, I noticed something. When I took an arm from one we defeated, it turned to dirt once the main body vanished."

"Dirt?"

Sensei nodded, pulling a small vial from his pocket. Inside was ordinary brown soil.

"This is part of it. I'd need to analyze it further, but… the enemy's boss might be using something natural, like soil, mixed with its own body to create these monsters."

"But if that's true, wouldn't there be a limit to how many it can make?"

"Normally, yeah."

Sensei shrugged and pocketed the vial.

Using its own body to create that many monsters? That's insane.

Hopefully, further investigation will clarify things.

For now, we've dealt with the monsters attacking the town, and Sensei found a new clue.

A good haul. Time to head back.

As Asia finished healing and we prepared to move—

Zzz…

"?!"

A crushing pressure hit us.

What… is this?!

It felt like weights were pressing down on my body, threatening to crush me.

Everyone else felt it too—even Sensei and Tia were sweating.

This overwhelming pressure!

This presence!

It's coming from—

"Above!"

I looked up.

There, looking down on us—

Ruin.

And so, the 100th chapter—14th in this arc—finally moves the story forward!

As mentioned in the activity report, I'm planning a special 100th-chapter story somewhere down the line (depending on my mood).

I'm open to suggestions for stories you'd like to read!

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